696 Studies in the Theory of Descent. 



accident, but if " a horseman is riding along a 

 gravelly road past this target, and one of the 

 pebbles thrown up by the hoof of the galloping 

 horse hits the mark, this would be termed an 

 accident of extremely rare occurrence. My tar- 

 get was not the mark for the pebble, therefore 

 the hit was purely accidental, although the pro- 

 jection of the stone in this precise direction with 

 the velocity which it had acquired, was sufficiently 

 explained by the kick given by the horse. But 

 the hit was accidental because the kick of the 

 galloping horse, although it necessarily projected 

 the pebble, had no relation at all to my target. 

 For the same reason we must regard the universe 

 as an immense accident if the forces which move 

 it are not designedly regulated the more immense 

 because it is not a single motion of projection 

 that acts here, but a large number of hetero- 

 geneous powers, i.e. a large number of variously 

 acting necessities which are, as a whole, devoid 

 of purpose, but which nevertheless accomplish 

 this purpose, not only at any single moment, but 

 constantly. A truly admirable series of desirable 

 accidents ! " l 



The same idea is expressed, although in a very 

 different manner, by Von Hartmann, in the con- 

 cluding chapter of his work already quoted. He 

 thinks that " design is a necessary and certain 

 consequence of the mechanical laws of nature." 



1 Loc. at p. 175. 



\ 



